This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A vehicle, such as a snowmobile, generally includes an engine assembly. The engine assembly is operated with the use of fuel to generate power to drive the vehicle. The power to drive a snowmobile is generally generated by a combustion engine that drives pistons and a connected crank shaft. Two-stroke snowmobile engines are highly tuned, high output, and high specific power output engines that operate under a wide variety of conditions.
Vehicles such as snowmobiles can be difficult to start in cold weather. This is true especially for two-stroke engines. Many snowmobiles are pull start. Pull starting a snowmobile can be difficult. There is much resistance to a pull as the pistons move over top dead center.
Adding vehicle components to start the vehicle add complexity and operability issues in extreme temperatures. Typically, starting systems require a battery. Due to the extreme cold temperatures snowmobiles face, the battery has to be sized very large to start the vehicle reliably. Oftentimes, recreational vehicles are used sporadically and maintaining a charge on a fixed vehicle battery is inconvenient. Further the weight of a battery and start can detract from the ride. Reduce weight is typically a goal to increase fuel economy.